French frigate Hortense (1803)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Flore.

300px Model of the Hortense, on display at Toulon naval museum
History
France
Name:	Hortense
General characteristics
Class & type:	Hortense class frigate
Displacement:	1350 (French tons)
Length:	48.75 m (159.9 ft)
Beam:	12.2 m (40 ft)
Draught:	5.9 m (19 ft)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Ship
Armament:	28 × 18-pounder long guns 12 × 8-pounder long guns

Hortense was a 40-gun Hortense Class frigate of the French Navy.

In January 1805, under Captain Delamarre de Lamellerie, she and Incorruptible were sent to observe British movements off Toulon. On 4 February they attacked a convoy, destroying seven ships. Three days later, they encountered another convoy escorted by the 20-gun sloop HMS Arrow and the 8-gun bomb vessel HMS Acheron; the French frigates destroyed the two Royal Navy vessels and captured three ships of the convoy.

Then on 12 May 1805, Hortense and Hermione captured the 18-gun ship-sloop HMS Cyane. Cyane was cruising between Barbados and Martinique when she had the misfortune to encounter a French fleet under Admiral Villeneuve. Hortense and Hermione so out-gunned Cyane that her captain, Commander George Cadogan, had no choice but to strike his colours.

Hortense took part in the Battle of Cape Finisterre, in the Battle of Trafalgar and in Lamellerie's expedition.

In 1814, she was renamed to Flore.

Citations and references

Citations

References